Fire Emblem: How They Became Family
by RobinsNowi
Summary: Nah is quite straightforward and open to her father, Robin, even when she first talks to him despite how shy and timid she normally is around strangers. This made me think there was something that happened before their C rank conversation that brought them closer first and that led me to writing this short story. The story is set after they find Nah and before they find Morgan.


"Haa..." Sighed an unusually melancholy Nowi as she entered the tent she shared with Robin. Her lips were firmly pressed together and her ears drooped pathetically. Robin, who was reading a new tactics manual he had bought earlier that day, immediately looked up in concern. "What's wrong Nowi? It's quite unusual for you to be so forlorn...Are you okay?" Hearing his concern, Nowi strode over to Robin and sat on his laps, digging her face into his chest and pouting silently. He also started to feel his chest area becoming moist and knew that Nowi was shedding tears. Robin, although immensely concerned, decided that she needed some time to calm down. He simply held her close and started stroking her back gently.

"Mu..." After a while, Nowi seemed to be calm enough to speak as she separated from his chest and sat fidgeting about on Robin's laps. "Will you tell me what happened, Nowi?" He asked softly, touching her flushed cheeks and brushing a drop of tear away. Nowi took a deep breath, opened her eyes and spoke thus: "Nah."

"Huh?" Robin exclaimed, extremely confused. He was sure Nowi was about to say something from her demeanor, but a flat denial was what he got from her instead. "You...you won't?" He asked, looking for a confirmation. To this, Nowi also seemed confused. "Huh? I said Nah...?" She tilted her head and frowned. But after a moment, she started giggling despite her mood. "Oh! You silly, I'm talking about our daughter!" Realizing this, Robin also burst out laughing. "Well, I knew we were going to do this to ourselves one day!" He and Nowi snickered like that for a moment, their tension all gone. "Hehe, thanks honey...somehow you always make me feel better when I'm feeling down." Nowi said, looking calmer by several degrees. "My pleasure, love." Robin replied, touching foreheads with his wife.

"So what about her, Nowi? Did you get into a quarrel again?" Robin asked. He was aware that Nah, their daughter from the future whom they had met recently, was having a difficult time getting used to her mother. Nowi's full-on approach seemed difficult for Nah swallow, and it ended up with her running away or rejecting Nowi.

"Yeah...I just can't seem to get along with her...I thought Nah wanted her mom and dad so I'm trying to be as close to her as I can but..." She said. Her voice shook in sadness and frustration and longing. The corner of her eyes started to water again. "Am I doing this wrong? ...Am I a bad mother, Robin? Is that why she keeps rejecting me?" Her voice now tinged with desperation, she grabbed Robin's shirt and held it tight. "Of course not, Nowi. Of course not. Don't think like that. I always thought you would make a great mother and I firmly believe so." Robin answered immediately with conviction, holding Nowi closer. He knew Nowi's affectionate and considerate nature by heart and that Nowi only meant well for Nah. Nowi was a wise woman in her own ways, and she probably knew by instinct that a full-on approach was what was needed.

However, that it wasn't working probably meant that this stalemate then, was probably on Nah's part. As for Nah's shyness, Robin had also been keeping a close eye on her. He was always told he had a knack for reading people, and he meant to use his gift to its fullest for her because he also felt a familial bond towards her ever since their meeting and wished to become closer to her as well. Robin organized in his head some strips of information he gathered and started to speak.

"You know how shy she is, right...? She tries to avoid becoming too attached to people right now for some reason; She must have had a hard time in the future past and is trying to protect herself from becoming too attached to someone and end up hurting herself. I can only imagine what that child went through for her to act like that...But given the future that Lucina spoke of, we should expect her to be scarred from the past, right?"

"Mhm." Nowi listened carefully. Her eyes intently fixed on Robin. Robin could feel her eagerness and smiled to himself. "So we have to let time do its work to heal her wounds. She doesn't feel safe right now to show herself to us...I know it's frustrating just waiting, but the best thing we can do for her right now is to be there for her...I think. We need to provide her our presence more than anything, and I believe you're doing the right thing about that. One thing I would also try is also properly talking to her. We need to convey that we mean well for her clearly as we can. We need to be understanding and true when we do as well: Even if we mean well, our intentions might not get through if we don't properly put it into words," Robin paused to catch a breath.

"Wow, you always have everything planned out! I'm sure she'll be calling us mommy and daddy in a flash with your plan!" Nowi exclaimed excitedly, happily hopping up and down on Robin's laps. "Haha, I did mention we need time right?...Oh whatever. So yes, the first thing I think we should do is to have a chance to talk to her properly, but not in a forced manner." Robin said, thinking about such a way. "I might actually have to make a list of possible script for this...I really don't want to hurt her more." He murmured and held his chin in thought. "Let's think about this together, Robin! I'm sure the two of us can come up with a great plan!" Nowi offered. Robin was elated by Nowi's enthusiasm to bring them together as a family, and also sure now, for Nowi had much experience watching people and Robin knew he could rely on such wisdom. Their dynamic of learning and teaching was a mutual one, in which Robin would provide knowledge and Nowi would provide experience and wisdom. There was nothing that they couldn't achieve when they pooled their knowledge and wisdom together. "Yes, of course. You have your share of watching Nah too. I'm sure if we worked together, we would be able to break the ice between us." Robin said, holding both of her hands with his. They then took a parchment and a quill out to organize their thoughts and just started to write their daughter's name when they heard a timid voice outside.

"Umm...Is...is mother here...?" Said a fidgety, petite figure whose shadows hung on the tent's fabric from the light of the torches outside. "It's Nah!" whispered Nowi. They immediately shot up and rushed outside.

"Nah! Why it's so good of you to visit us. Come in, Come in!" Robin said heartily. "Yeah! We were just thinking about how to become more friendly with y-Oomph." Said Nowi as Robin covered her mouth and laughed rather desperately. Nah carefully walked in. "Th-thank you, mother, father." Robin then offered her a seat on their bed. Next, he rushed over to his desk, set a pot on his stove powered by magic and filled it up with fresh cow's milk. Nowi sat across Nah on the floor carefully observing Nah. Robin also sat next to Nowi when he was finished.

"How are you doing, Nah? I didn't get to talk to you much the past few days. We're always concerned for you, you know." Robin offered. Thankfully, Nah smiled, albeit sheepishly. "I'm doing well, father. Thank you." She then turned her gaze cautiously to Nowi, then down to her own lap, falling silent as if guilty. For a while, the whizzing sound of the magical pot doing its work was the only sound that could be heard in the tent as Nah fidgeted, Robin observed, and Nowi held Robin's hand.

Robin knew that doing something to break this unease was his role as a parent, but when it came to it, he found himself overly complicating everything in his mind. But this was a time that called for action, and thus Robin returned Nowi's pressure on his hand as if to gather courage. But before he could speak, Nowi took in a deep breath.

"Umm...Nah...?" Nowi called carefully, breaking the heavy silence. Nah twitched but stayed silent. "I...I'm really sorry I bothered you just before. I didn't mean to. I just wanted to...you know...umm." Nowi continued, looking at Robin from time to time for approval. Robin somehow felt that Nowi had the right answer to this situation. He smiled and gently squeezed her hand. 'Go on,' he said silently with his lips, smiling to reassure her. Nowi's voice found strength again. "I just want to get to know you better, Nah. I might not be your real mother, but I want to become one for you, if you would let me. I just can't leave you alone because...I really want to love you as your family." There was an honest simplicity in her words where Robin would have sputtered incoherent and unnecessarily complicated phrases. "That's why I kept pestering you...I'm really sorry if it hurt you. I truly only meant well..." Nowi finished uneasily. But Robin knew her feelings got through, as Nah's gaze jerked up to reveal a face full of tears and atonement and happiness.

"I'm sowee..." Nah said through her tears. Startled, Nowi ran over to her and embraced Nah as gently as she could. "Nah!" This seemed to have comforted her to some degree, as Nah started speaking in a shaking voice. "I knew...I knew that mother and father wanted to become closer to me...but I was confused and scared, because...I never knew my parents in the future. So I don't know what it means to be family nor a daughter...I was scared of getting rejected by you if I depended on you too much. If...If I showed everything about myself to you and was rejected...I might lose everything, any chance at finally having a family. ...But...! But I want to become your daughter too; I want to know what it means to have a mother and father and be loved by my parents...! But I was scared so I kept lashing out at you and pushing you away, mother...I'm so sorry!" Wailed Nah in Nowi's arms which had also begun to shake with emotions. "I'm sorry too! I pushed you too hard in my excitement but I didn't know I was hurting you. I should have been more careful...Oh Nah...Will you forgive me?" Nowi answered sniffing. "There's nothing to forgive, mother, you didn't do anything wrong! But I...I kept hurting you when you tried to be so kind to me...I felt so guilty and sorry when you gave up trying to play with me and walked away with your ears all drooping...Will you forgive me for all of that...? I promise never to make you sad again like that. I promise I'll be a good daughter from now on...So please..." Nah pleaded, pushing deeper and deeper into her mother's embrace. "Of course, dear...of course! I understand now, my poor baby..." Nowi held Nah tight with one arm and pat the back of Nah's head the other, relieved and happy.

Watching his family taking its first steps, Robin also felt his eyes becoming hot from the moisture that started to well up in the corner of his eyes. He approached the two and hugged both of them in his arms as warmly as he could. "I'm glad both of you understand now...that deep down we all long for the company of each other. Right now we are awkward and uneasy. ...But as long as we know that we are bound together by our mutual feelings, I'm sure that our bonds will grow and we'll be a real family in no time...Watching both of you, I'm confident that we will." "Ehehe," Nowi giggled, brushing her tears away and smiling radiantly. "What are you saying, honey? With you hugging all of us like this in your arms, we're already a family!" Robin also grinned back. "That's true. In fact, the moment we met, I already felt that we were a family through and through." Robin paused to gaze at Nah, still somewhat timid in his arms. 'This isn't enough,' He thought. 'She's still unsure. ...I need more...naked feelings...a more...' Robin struggled a bit, but soon smiled. 'A more "full-on approach."' Robin smiled as he turned his gaze to Nowi. 'I knew she was right all along.'

He opened his mouth again, his voice confident and soothing. "...I also want you to know something, Nah." Nah looked up into Robin's eyes, curious. "I want you to know that we are, first and foremost, glad and thankful that you came to us, and that we love you unconditionally, Nah. ...Do you understand what I mean?" Robin asked gently. Nah was blushing and stricken with embarrassment, but still inquired further with her eyes. "It means that...Nah, No matter how you feel, no matter how you act, we will always love you. Not just because we are your parents, but because that's simply how we feel towards you. You're just that precious to us, Nah." Robin concluded, also blushing somewhere mid-sentence, but doing his best not to avert his gaze. "Father..." Nah murmured, her eyes wide in surprise. "Robin...!" Nowi also seemed pleasantly surprised at his straightforwardness, and kissed Robin's cheek approvingly. She then applied the same treatment to Nah's forehead, pulling her head into her arms and tenderly squeezing it. Nah did not jerk in surprise at this gesture of affection this time and instead stayed still. She soon began to sob and whimper, her whole body jerking with torrents of emotions as she stained her mother's blouse with hot tears. Her tears flowed freely, along with the ice that had frozen her heart stiff. This time, neither Nowi nor Robin tried to calm Nah, instead simply holding her as tenderly as they could, Nowi cooing gently and Robin patting her back in warm, loving tandem.

When Nah finally did calm down, she gifted them with her first true smile, radiant and cloudless, in striking resemblance to her mother as she wove her arms around Robin's neck and snuggled up happily.

When Nah separated, Robin served up delicious beverages made by adding sugar, powdered vanilla, and ground cocoa bean into the boiled milk. They happily conversed late into the night, talking about things happy and sad, and of things old and new until Nah fell asleep on the bed she was sitting on with her head in her mother's laps. Robin moved her to the center of their bed, and the couple lay down squeezing their daughter between them. As they did so, Nowi and Robin's gazes found a more profound form of warmth as they realized that this was the first time sleeping together for all of them, and how so happy it made them as that enchanting sensation that one could only feel by sharing their affection with loved ones spread and sank deep into their hearts.

For the first time after coming to the present, Nah slept peacefully without any nightmares of her future past in the warm embraces of her parents.


End file.
